What is the normal direction of portal venous flow?

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Normal portal venous flow is hepatopedal, meaning it travels toward the liver. This direction reflects the portal system delivering nutrient-rich blood from the GI tract into hepatic sinusoids for processing. On Doppler, you’d see flow in the main portal vein toward the liver with a relatively steady, low-velocity, continuous waveform. Abnormal directions—hepatofugal flow (away from the liver), oscillating flow (reversing direction), or absent flow—indicate pathology such as portal hypertension or venous obstruction. The essential point: direction toward the liver is the normal direction.